CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY - NORTHRIDGE
College of Health and Human Development
Department of Recreation & Tourism Management
RTM 402: Models of Play, Leisure and Recreation (3 units)
Instructor:
Office Hours:
Course Website:
RTM 402: Models of Play, Leisure and Recreation
(login at http://moodle.csun.edu)
Required Text:
Tolan, Finney & Walker. (1996) Play across the life span. Northridge,
CA: CSUN. [Available at ASAP Printing, 9250 Reseda Blvd., Suite 6,
Northridge, CA, 91324. 818-700-7999]
Brown, S & Vaughan, C. (2009). Play: How it shapes the brain, opens
the imagination, and invigorates the soul. New York, NY: Avery.
Axline, V. M. (1964). Dibs: In search of self. New York, NY:
Ballantine.
Cases & Readings: As assigned (provided via Moodle).
Course Description:
Examines the historical, theoretical and philosophical foundations of play, leisure and recreation
and their relevance to the professional today. Explores how play theory and philosophy impact
the provision of service to individuals across the lifespan and with diverse needs.
Course Objectives:
At the end of the course, successful students will be able to:
1. Comprehend the conceptual foundations of play for all populations and settings.
2. Comprehend the affective, cognitive, physical and social significance of play, from an
historical perspective for all populations and settings.
3. Analyze the significance of play throughout the life cycle relative to the individual’s
values, behaviors, and use of resources.
4. Apply the critical thinking process to play behavior.
Recreation and Tourism Management B.S. Program Learning Outcomes:
1. Students will demonstrate critical thinking including analysis, synthesis and application in
the fields of recreation, play, leisure, parks, hospitality and/or tourism through a variety of
pedagogies.
2. Students will practice and self-assess progress toward mastery of the standards and
competencies of appropriate accrediting bodies through continual self-assessment and
portfolio development.
3. Students will demonstrate application and integration of theoretical knowledge in a practical
setting through a minimum of 400 hours of professional internship in preparation for
pursuing employment.
4. Students will demonstrate an increase in Emotional Intelligence while pursuing their degree
objectives.
Course Requirements:
This seminar oriented class is based on student participation & discussion, assigned readings,
case studies, and other supplementary materials. To fully benefit from this class, students should
keep up with the assigned readings and read additional materials (media, trade publications,
journals) as much as possible. Class discussions facilitate the exchange and understanding of
ideas and concepts. This will not be possible if students come to class unprepared.
1. Play Log (Individual Written Assignment)- 30 points
Student will select a specific cohort and record in writing 15 detailed anecdotal observations of
members of the cohort in play. Quality of assignment will be assessed by the depth of
understanding demonstrated in the analysis.
2. Individual Author Concept Paper (Individual Writing Assignment and presentation and
group presentation)– 30 points
Each student will read a minimum of 1 book and/or 5 journal articles (2 of these may be on-line)
which discuss the author’s work. A paper that provides a comprehensive analysis of the author’s
model will be submitted.
3. Group Presentation– 20 points
A group will present on application of major play theorist to a recreation, hospitality or tourism
service/program.
4. Class Participation– 20 points
Participation includes attendance (In the event it is necessary to miss a class, the student is
responsible for the information discussed in class), reading assignment materials in a timely
manner, actively participating in the class discussion and so on. Class time will be utilized to
discuss a variety of play concepts and the readings in the two texts. The student is expected to
have read the material and be ready to discuss it in class as well as respond in written class
assignment.
Evaluation:
Play Log
Concept Paper
Group Presentation
Class Participation
Total
30%
30%
20%
20%
100%
Grading
A
90-100%
B
80-89%
C
70-79%
D
< 69%
COURSE CALENDAR
Date
Discussion Topic
Assignment Due
Week 1
Introduction, Course Outline Review and
Levy
Read chapter 1 in Tolan et.al.
Week 2
Play Log and Field Research
Selection of Authors and Read chapter 3 in Tolan
et.al.
APA
Week 3
Library
Research Authors
Week 4
Critical Thinking and Arnold
Read chapter 2 in Tolan et.al.
Week 5
Day to complete field research. No class.
Read Dibs
Week 6
Moore and field research findings
Play Log Due
Chapters 1 & 2 in Brown
Week 7
Schools of Thought Discussion of Brown
Chapters 3 & 4 in Brown
Week 8
Behavior Domains
Chapters 5 & 6 in Brown
Discussion of Brown
Week 9
Discussion of Brown
Chapters 7 & 8 in Brown
Week 10
Concepts
Written Concept Paper Due
Week 11
Day to prepare group presentations. No
class.
Week 12
Group Presentations
Week 13
Group Presentations
Week 14
Group Presentations
Week 15
Final day to turn in any late work. No work
will be accepted after 7 pm
The extended course calendar will be available on MOODLE. The calendar will be modified
on Moodle as the semester progresses. This syllabus is subject to change. It is the student’s
responsibility to keep track of changes provided through Moodle.
Course Policies and Guidelines:
1. Students’ participation is vital to successful learning. Therefore, students are expected to
attend the class regularly, arrive on time, take notes, complete reading assignments on
schedule, and actively participate in discussions and other learning activities.
2. In order to create a safe, welcoming, and productive learning environment, students are
expected to respect each other, the facilities and equipment. Abusive, violent, disrespectful or
disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Students are referred to the policies and regulations
section of the University Catalog for university policies and code of conduct information.
3. Cellular phones, pagers and other electronic devices not being used for instructional purposes
should be kept off during class.
4. If you miss class, make arrangements with peers to collect class information, announcements
and materials. Information will not be repeated for those who are tardy or absent.
5. Communication: Students are expected to have access to their CSUN email account. The
instructor will send class announcement to students via students’ official CSUN emails. If
you have a primary email that is not your CSUN account, please have your CSUN email
forwarded to your primary email.
6. Late Assignment: Late assignments will be accepted with a penalty of 15% off per day.
Assignments submitted more than three days late will not be accepted without prior
arrangement with the instructor. No assignments will be accepted after the last official day of
class.
7. Make-up Work: Make-up assignments or exams will be given only when students meet the
following conditions:
i.
Absences caused by hospitalization, death in the family, or other emergencies
must be documented within 48 hours of your return to class. Acceptable
documentation includes a letter from a physician, a newspaper obituary, or a
memorial service program.
ii. Absences for official University activities (e.g., athletics, band, and chorus)
must be documented and approved in advance.
Please contact the instructor if you have any questions regarding your eligibility to make up
for an assignment.
8. Academic Honesty: According to the University’s policy on academic honesty, no form of
academic of dishonesty will be tolerated. Any student found cheating, plagiarizing a written
assignment, or committing any other infraction against CSUN’s policy will either receive a
failing grade for the course, be referred for University disciplinary action, or both. Please
refer to www.csun.edu/a&r/soc/studentconduct.html for additional information.
9. Students are advised to consult with campus services to receive assistance if they have
concerns regarding skills in areas such as writing or studying or computer skills.
10. Students are encouraged to be proactive and seek out the instructor as soon as they have any
concerns about the class or their performance. The end of the semester is too late to take
action to bring up a grade.
11. All assignments must be typed, double spaced, 12-point font, 1 inch margins and should
follow the American Psychological Association (APA) style (6th ed.).
12. Microsoft Word is the ONLY acceptable document format for online or email submission.
The following format should be used when naming the file: Course number_last name_first
name_short title (for example: RTM550_xie_jimmy_syllabus).
STUDENT RESOURCES
Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES). In keeping with the University’s
policy, reasonable accommodation is provided for students with disabilities that might affect
their course participation or assignment completion. Any student with disabilities should contact
DRES at 818-677-2684 or dres@csun.edu. DRES is located in Bayramian Hall room 110 (BH
110). Please visit www.csun.edu/dres/index.php for additional information and/or assistance. The
National Center on Deafness (NCOD) is located on Bertrand Street in Jeanne Chisholm Hall and
can be reached at (818) 677-2611.You are not required to disclose your disability to me in order
to receive accommodation during this course.
Learning Resource Center (LRC) and Writing Center. The LRC is committed to helping
students become better writers, critical thinkers, and communicators by providing face-to-face
and electronic consultation, tutorials, reference manuals, and links to Web writing resources. As
part of the LRC, the Writing Center staff is available to help students during the conception,
research, drafting, or revision stages of a paper. Students may visit the Writing Center in
Bayramian Hall room 408 (BH 408) or call 818-677-2033 to make an appointment. Walk-ins are
available on a limited basis. For additional information and/or assistance, please visit
www.csun.edu/lrc.
University Counseling Services (UCS). Students sometimes experience significant confusion
and distress when trying to manage school, work, relationships, and family responsibilities. UCS
provides free and confidential consultations to help students deal with academic stress,
relationship problems, family/roommate conflicts, personal growth, crisis events (e.g., rape,
divorce, assault) and other mental health issues (e.g., anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation).
Students may visit UCS in Bayramian Hall room 520 (BH 520) or call 818-677-2366 (V), 818677-7834 (TTY) for an appointment. UCS is located on the web at www.csun.edu/counseling.